Despite the complex international scenario, Russia has seen steady, albeit moderate, growth in beverage sales volumes in both the water and CSD segments. Hence Sacmi's decision to take part in PET Arena Beviale Moscow, a conference that focuses on PET-related topics, to be held in parallel with the third edition of the Beviale Moscow fair (Crocus Expo, 27 February -1 March 2018).
Sacmi aims to provide effective solutions for manufacturers planning to invest in higher volumes and respond to the market demand for smaller bottle sizes (traditional 2 and 2.5 litre formats are increasingly being abandoned in favour of “European” 1-1.5 litre or smaller ones). Sacmi, internationally acknowledged for its IPS (injection preform moulding) range, is heading to the Moscow conference to give a presentation called “Making PET preforms has never been easier – the SACMI system and the 4.0 smart factory”. This talk will be given by Riccardo Rubini, Sales Area Manager for Sacmi Closures&Containers (27 February 2018 at 2.30 pm).
Firstly, the talk will focus on the major design innovations applied on the platform, which incorporates the best Sacmi preform production know-how. For example, the latest addition to the Sacmi family, the IPS 400, has been designed to handle large volumes. It combines some of the shortest cycle times in the industry with major innovations such as the automated preform unloading system and a specially configured cooling station where the kinetic energy of the take-out plate is recovered and converted into electricity.
Another key feature of the Sacmi range is Industry 4.0-type plant engineering, which has three key aspects. First, total quality control: this is guaranteed by the PVS range of inspection solutions, developed by Sacmi's Automation&Inspection Systems Division. Designed to operate in-line and at high speed, PVS solutions stand out on account of their cutting-edge CVS 3000 software (shared across the entire Sacmi inspection system range) and innovative, patented solutions such as 'grid' type inspection, suitable for identifying defects normally only visible under polarised light (watermask, material stress, pitted surfaces…).
Then, alongside the PVS systems, Sacmi provides advanced sensor and plant supervision technology in the form of its H.E.R.E. (Human Expertise for Reactive Engineering) platform, which combines accurate plant performance info with the possibility of interfacing the system with the customer's ERP. Through advanced production-side feedback, H.E.R.E. lets manufacturers effect real-time performance monitoring (also remotely) of both individual machines and the plant as a whole, revolutionising inventory management and providing a cutting-edge tool that gives advance warnings on work that needs doing on the production line.
The final aspect is the "hard" 4.0 that comes from integrating IPS lines with Sacmi cap manufacturing systems and, downstream, with stretch-blowing, bottling and labelling. More specifically, with the new CBP Link Sacmi synchronises the cap and preform processes perfectly, offering unprecedented opportunities for bottlers.
All the above are essential to competitiveness on a market like Russia, where Sacmi has been operating for several years via its Sacmi Moscow branch. The latter provides customers with close support right from the initial design stage – in conjunction with the Beverage R&D facility, certified by the biggest international players in the industry – and accompanies them throughout the entire life cycle of the machines and the entire plant.